REVIEW The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3) by Katee Robert

The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3) 

by Katee Robert
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author) 

The Gargoyle’s Captive by Katee Robert, the latest installment in the ‘A Deal with a Demon’ series, is an enjoyable and steamy read (though it feels a little rushed). All of the events in the various books take place somewhat simultaneously so they can be read as standalones - this book focuses on the leader of the gargoyle territory Bram, and the human he chooses from Azazel’s auction, the former monster hunter Grace. 

“‘I’m sorry’. I smile even though my eyes are burning. ‘We keep saying that to each other, over and over, for our pains that words won’t fix.’ ‘Sometimes there’s nothing else to say.’”

Both Grace and Bram are dealing with a lot of trauma and loss. Readers get to see the events of the book from both of their perspectives, and how they connnect over the course of the book and bond over the past experiences. As one might expect from a Katee Robert book, the romance is trope heavy - some of the tropes you can expect are a monster romance, forced proximity, and a slight enemies to lovers take. There are of course, a lot of steamy scenes, and I was quite impressed by the author’s ingenuity with working Bram’s gargoyle attributes into those moments (the wings, the horns, the rock hard skin…)

Given the length of the book (slightly less than 200 pages on an e-reader), there isn’t a lot going on outside of Bram and Grace’s relationship. No new characters of particular import pop up, and there’s minimal worldbuilding. The build-up of the conflict and the reveal about Grace’s mother fell flat for me. I do appreciate the cameo from Ramanu (still my favorite character in the entire Deal with a Demon literary universe), but I was left wanting more from the book overall. 

If you want a quick monster romance book that you can finish in an afternoon, this would be a great choice for you. However if you’re looking for a longer romance tale, complete with extensive worldbuilding and in depth character development you might be better served with looking at another title on Ms. Robert’s backlist instead. I’m still invested in the series, but its not quite my favorite of all her books so I’ll be eagerly awaiting the final installments of the series, especially Azazel’s book The Demon’s Queen. Readers will be pleased to know that these books (at the time of writing this review) are available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author’s Website): Elements of Suicidal Ideation (referenced briefly), Murder, Blood, Giant Spiders, Dubious Consent (Agreement Given Under Duress), Violent Familial Death (Historical, Off-Page), Abuse (By Parents, Off-Page, Historical), Violence, Blood Magic)

About the Book

Grace is a monster hunter who went into her demon deal with eyes wide open. Years ago, her mother made the same choice and was never seen again, and the answers Grace seeks can only be found in the demon realm.

She doesn’t care that she’s auctioned off to a gargoyle. She doesn’t plan to stay with him longer than strictly necessary.

Unfortunately, she didn’t read the small print of her contract.

Every time she tries to escape, she’s transported back into Bram’s tender care. He never hurts her, never punishes her, just meets her fury with an easy charm she doesn’t know how to fight.

She doesn’t mean to give in, to stop fighting. But the moment she does, she starts to forget what brought her to this place and what her goals are. After a life starved of pleasure, she’s all willing to let Bram seduce her again and again…

At least until the past comes calling.

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

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REVIEW The Captive Merman's Promise (Peculiar Tastes #5) by Zoey Castile

The Captive Merman's Promise (Peculiar Tastes #5) 

by Zoey Castile 
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Format: eBook (Kickstarter)
Publisher: Bonkers Romance

The Captive Merman’s Promise by Zoey Castile (the pen name Zoraida Cordova uses when writing romance) is a unique novella-length tale with a strong premise. A sort of loose reimagining of The Little Mermaid, Amada is a young bruja looking to break a curse that has plagued her family for generations. When she arrives at the Shadow Market and seeks out the Grand Master of the Abyss, she’s surprised to find merman warrior Ronan locked in a tank. Their chemistry is instantaneous, but Ronan’s existing bargain with the Grand Master (and Amada’s pending one) become a barrier to their happily ever after. 

Unlike some of the other couples in the Peculiar Tastes series, I struggled to become invested in Amada and Ronan’s story. Sure, it’s a classic taste of insta-love and steamy sex scenes. However, I didn’t really get enough background for either of them to care about whether or not they got a happily-ever-after ending. A full-length story (instead of a novella-length book) would have been better in this case, as it would have allowed time to go into the history of the curse as well as develop their relationships more. I wanted to learn more about the Grand Master! I wanted to learn more about Ronan’s background, and Amada’s family. Sadly, there wasn’t enough time to do everything in the pages provided and the story as a whole suffered as a result. 

The highlight of the book was the dynamic of Amada and Ronan’s relationship. Both of them are lost and in bad situations when they run into each other, and they’ve both given up on the ability to find love at this point. It was nice to see characters that don’t start out as confident and to see a relationship where it doesn’t involve one party saving the other. Despite this being a monster romance of sorts, I also appreciated how their intimacy didn’t rely on rutting or animalistic behavior you see in other similar books. It was more of a gentle relationship, and it fits their characters and what we know of their backstories well. 

Overall, The Captive Merman’s Promise was another short enjoyable monster romance book. It wasn’t quite long enough to be fully satisfying, but it does the job and it's an easy book to knock out in an afternoon. I still have two more books to go in the Shadow Market/Peculiar Tastes series, so I’m excited to read some other new to me authors. If you’re looking for a quick and easy mermaid monster romance, this one's for you. However, if you’re looking for a more in-depth tale (complete with lots of worldbuilding and character development), I’d suggest looking at the other books from this Kickstarter (especially The Demon’s Bargain and The Death God’s Sacrifice). 

About the Book

A merman meets the bruja who will change his life...

The women in the Palacios family are cursed to always lose their love. Until one day, Amada Palacios uses all her magic to transfer the curse into her own body. Now, Amada wanders the world alone, never getting too close or too intimate with anyone who might have the misfortune to love her. But when the curse begins to ache in ways it never did before, she's desperate to end her agony. Amada travels to Scotland in search of the Grand Master of the Abyss who is said to have a cure for any curse…for a price.

Rónán is a merman warrior of a dead kingdom. For decades he’s been held captive by the Grand Master—Ronan is the main attraction in the Grand Master’s oddities exhibit. Every night the captive merman weeps tears of pearl and sings the call of the deep. Every night he holds on to a sliver of hope that one day his captivity will end.

As Amada and Rónán’s fates intertwine in the nights surrounding Samhain, their monsoon romance unravels a secret that will bind them together forever, or forsake them into the endless abyss.

About the Author

Zoey Castile was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. She started writing in her teens and pursued that love in her studies at Hunter College and the University of Montana. For nearly a decade, she worked as a bartender, hostess, and manager in New York City's nightlife. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ZoeyCastile. You can also email her at ZoeyCastile@gmail.com

REVIEW The Kraken's Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2) by Katee Robert

The Kraken's Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2) 

by Katee Robert
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author) 

Being a big fan of Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains and Dark Olympus series, as well as the more recent releases of The Dragon’s Bride and The Demon’s Bargain, I had very high hopes going into The Kraken’s Sacrifice. Unfortunately, the short length and the unique dynamic between Thane and Catalina made it hard for the book to live up to expectations. 

Unlike Lenora or Briar, Catalina’s deal with Azazel is made to escape her life in the mortal world than a specific person (like Lenora’s vindictive ex or Briar’s abusive husband). She’s been beaten down so many times in the past by her family and past lovers that she expects life to be like that, and as such the contract (with a major do not harm clause included) doesn’t trigger the multiple times Thane messes up at the beginning of the relationship since she expects stuff life to be like that. To make matters even more complicated, Thane is still dealing with the pain of losing the love of his life, Brant. They have a very awkward relationship to start, but it does progress once they learn to be vulnerable and start opening up to each other. Despite the progression, it was much harder for me to connect to their relationship when Thane spent a good chunk of the book essentially hiding from Catalina. Once he stops hiding from her, and they actually start spending time together, things felt rushed. I wanted more heart-to-hearts, more kinky tentacle scenes, and more exploration of Thane’s kingdom, but alas everything had to fit into the roughly 170 pages of the book we were given and there was not enough time for everything. 

Katee Robert makes a point of writing inclusive romances, and I love it! The inclusivity featured in The Kraken’s Sacrifice was definitely a major highlight. Both Catalina and Thane have had past lovers across the gender spectrum. There’s also Thane’s sibling Embry, who uses the pronouns zir/ze. Given that this is my first exposure to those pronouns (I’m a bit more used to they/them), it was surprisingly easy to adjust. I also want to applaud Ms. Robert for how she handled the abortion scene in the book. It’s easy to highlight the happy moments in a relationship when you write a book, but it’s much harder to tastefully depict such a deep moment in any couple's life. It’s not graphic, but it does happen on the page and I was pleased to see that Thane was a very supportive partner to Catalina during the whole process. 

For those of you who may be familiar with the other books in this universe, Ramanu once again makes an appearance, and they are basically my favorite character in the entire series. They are in charge of the check-ins for each of the mortal brides that were auctioned off and despite their behavior towards each of the territory leaders, it's obvious they care about the humans to some degree. Given that The Demon’s Bargain also takes place in this universe, it was nice to see where that fits into the timeline and get another glimpse into Lenora and Ramanu’s relationship (I really want to see them annoy the crap out of Azazel in a future book). 

Overall, The Kraken’s Sacrifice was a largely enjoyable book, especially when you consider the larger ‘A Deal with a Demon’ series. If you want a quick monster romance read you can finish in an afternoon, this would be a great book for you. It’s an especially great choice for those who are looking for an LGBTQ+ inclusive read. However, if you’re looking for a longer monster romance, complete with extensive worldbuilding, large amounts of character development and the types of sex scenes Ms. Robert has present in her other books, you might be better served looking at another title on her backlist instead. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author’s Website): Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination (non-graphic), incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly), reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gag

About the Book

Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen?

She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken.

Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain?

That’s when things get really interesting.

But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her.

Check out my review of Ramanu's story in The Demon's Bargain

Check out my review of the first book in the series, The Dragon's Bride

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

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REVIEW The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover (Peculiar Tastes #3) by Adrianna Herrera

The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover (Peculiar Tastes #3) by Adrianna Herrera

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Format: eBook (Kickstarter)
Publisher: Bonkers Romance

My tastes must definitely be peculiar because I'm really enjoying the books that Bonkers Romance recently released through their Shadow Market Kickstarter. The latest book I finished in the series is Adrianna Herrera's The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover, and you should read this book if you enjoy monster romances with a second chance romance, badass heroines, and lots of action (in more ways than one). 

Five years ago, Hellmouth Guardian Ariadne was betrayed by her sentinel and exiled from the order. She’s since built herself a home and a business (‘a traveling monster bacchanalia named the Monster Smash’). But when that same sentinel comes knocking on her doorstep asking for her help, she will have to face all the emotions she tried to bury and the serpent demon that broke her heart. 

There’s a lot of history between Ariadne and Augustus, and the tension between them is evident. The moment they gave into said tension was spicy and very fun for me as a reader. On the surface, their love story in this book is a second-chance romance. It’s also a mentor/mentee relationship as August was the one to recruit Ariadne into her role as a guardian. Admittedly, the plot is a bit sparse (even for a book this length), but I didn’t have much issue with that given that this is a very character-driven narrative. Potential readers should be aware that this is very much an adult romance given the orgies and other sexual activities Augustus and Ariadne like to partake in. 

There is shared worldbuilding between the different Peculiar Tastes/Shadow Market books, but there is little to no crossover between characters. I did enjoy the tiny Easter egg-Esque nods to the other books. For example, Augustus notes very on in the book that there “Fae queens, death gods, and powerful witches all running amok looking to settle their scores” (referencing The Fae Queen’s Captive, The Death God’s Sacrifice, and The Demon’s Bargain, respectively)

Overall, The Hellmouth Guardian’s Lover was another short, enjoyable paranormal romance/fantasy tale. It didn’t quite have the plot twists that the other books did, but it was an entertaining read nonetheless. I’m so excited that the Shadow Market books have introduced me to some new authors I’d never heard of before (I was previously only familiar with Katee Robert), and I’m looking forward to checking out Adriana’s backlist titles in the future. 

Content Warnings (Courtesy of the Author): Some Incidental Injuries during sex, violence, murder (of baddies), blood, explicit sex, mention of parental death

About the Author

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings. Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, OPRAH Magazine, NPR, Library Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

REVIEW The Death God's Sacrifice (Peculiar Tastes #1) by Jenny Nordbak

The Death God's Sacrifice (Peculiar Tastes #1) 

by Jenny Nordbak
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Format: eBook (Kickstarter)
Publisher: Bonkers Romance 

Stheno is one of the feared Gorgons straight out of Greek myth. She has spent years working as a slayer, selling her services to the highest bidder and protecting her sister Euryale. When her sister is captured, she is forced to kill the druidic god who drops the veil between worlds every year for the Shadow Market, but it turns out to be much more complicated than she would have ever expected…

This is a great start to the Peculiar Tastes series and all of the books concerning the Shadow Market. I did read Katee Robert’s The Demon’s Bargain first, and they didn’t really connect all that much so I’m not sure if they have to be read in order. Stheno and Gregor are very likable characters (you can’t help but get attached to them), and I think this is one of the best Gorgon books I’ve ever read. They had an exciting dynamic, with Stheno being sent to kill him but instead falling for him and Gregor essentially falling in love with her at first sight. I was impressed with the worldbuilding Ms. Nordbak brought into the book (with the blending of different world mythologies), and I loved the pieces of the Shadow Market that readers got to see. I’m curious how the other four authors will build on the Shadow Market. 

Overall, The Death God’s Sacrifice was a great (if a bit short) paranormal/fantasy romance tale. There were some juicy plot twists thrown in that I was definitely not expecting - I’m now following the author in the hopes that she releases another book following some specific side characters (I can’t actually say their names without risking some major spoilers). If you’re a fan of monster romances complete with insta-love, kick-ass female heroines with ‘consent king’ love interests, and a mix of sweet and spicy moments, you’ve come to the right place!

CW (Courtesy of the Author): Some Incidental Injuries during Sex, Violence, Murder (Of Baddies), Blood, Explicit Sex

About the Author

Jenny Nordbak earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Archaeology from the University of Southern California. After graduating, she spent two years leading a double life, working in healthcare construction by day, while secretly working as a dominatrix at a dungeon in LA by night. Her memoir, The Scarlett Letters: My Secret Year of Men in an LA Dungeon (St. Martin’s Press, 2017) is a candid look at that time in her life. 

Jenny is an advocate for sex positivity and intersectional feminism. She writes the Stocks and Bondage column for Penthouse magazine, cohosts the Bonkers Romance podcast, and delights in narrating the steamiest of audiobooks.

She lives in Southern California with her handsome Viking husband and two adorably feral children.

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REVIEW The Dragon's Bride (A Deal with a Demon Book 1) by Katee Robert

The Dragon's Bride (A Deal with a Demon Book 1) 

by Katee Robert 
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 29, 2022
Format: eBook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self-Published by Author)

Get your copy of the book from Bookshop.org

Get your copy of the audiobook from Libro.fm

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I’m a big fan of Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus and Wicked Villains series, so I was curious once she announced her latest series, A Deal with A Demon. I’ve never read a monster romance book before, so I had no clue what to expect going into The Dragon’s Bride. I ended up reading it in one sitting, and now I’m hungry for more (October is so far away and so long to wait for the release of the next book). 

Briar is in a bad situation, with a husband that's abusive and seemingly has no way out. With nothing more to lose (except her life), she makes a desperate deal with a demon. A way out of her relationship and freedom from her abusive husband, all in exchange for seven years of service. Seems straightforward enough - however, instead of the hard labor Briar is experiencing she is auctioned off to become the bride of a dragon. Will she end up falling for him (like all the other parties involved hope), or will it be a long seven years till she returns to the human realm? Well, you’ll have to read to find out (no spoilers here) - it’ll be well worth your time though (and it's a short read at around 180 pages, so not too much of a commitment).

Briar and Sol’s relationship is heartwarmingly sweet, and it was a pleasure to read about. Briar is dealing with some past emotional trauma from her abusive relationship, and Sol does take that into account with their interactions. It took me a bit to warm up to things (I was still very unsure about the “monster/human” relationship at the start of the book), but once I did I was invested and had to see things through to the end. Like many of Ms. Robert’s other books, this story is very character-driven as opposed to plot-driven. One of my favorite components of the book was being able to see Briar’s journey and growth from the first page to the last. 

Sol (and many of Ms. Robert’s other lead characters, like Jafar in Desperate Measures or Hades in Neon Gods) are absolute consent kings, and I love that. Even when they are “playing”, it is always made clear that things can stop at any time should one involved party want to. On a slightly related note, I was quite pleasantly surprised that all of the contracts Azazel brokered had specific clauses that required everything to be consensual, and for his “contracted humans” to not be harmed. I’ve read other books where deals with demons are made, and I’ve never seen that included before. I hope it makes an appearance in future books. 

Overall, The Dragon’s Bride was a sweet and steamy romance read. If you’re a fan of Ms. Robert’s other books, then you should definitely check this one out. It’s a great start to a new series, and after this, I’ll likely be reading similar books in the near future (maybe the Ice Planet Barbarians series I’ve been hearing so much about?) I’m looking forward to reading The Kraken’s Sacrifice once it comes out later this year, and I’m crossing my fingers that one of the unannounced books will cover Azazel and Eve’s relationship (I have so many questions after the teasers the author dropped in this book).

Trigger warnings (courtesy of author’s page): domestic abuse (historical, off-page, but the heroine is dealing with the aftermath of getting out of that relationship), murder (off-page), human/non-human sex, size difference, explicit sex, breeding, pregnancy (epilogue)

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

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